Manufacture of vapor electric apparatus.



P. H. THOMAS.

MANUFACTURE OF VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY :5, 1904.

1,009,939, Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

HHIHHHI'HIHilHiliiiiiiliiiiliiHiilHiiiHHII" HHHHH 1 0 L'mea 0 e0 5]: w c1 11 0 c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FIBCY H. THOMAS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 COOPER HEWITTELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N, Y., -A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MANUFACTURE OF VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Application filed May 25, 1904. Serial No. 209,655.

To all whom it may concern: k

Be it known that I, PERCY H. THoMAs, a citizen of the United States, andresident of East Orange, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of VaporElectric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The vapor apparatus which is represented by the well-known mercury vaporlamp and -rercury vapor converter commonly com prises a glass containerwith one or more mercury electrodes therein from which mercury vapor isdeveloped in the operation of the apparatus. Under these conditions, itis possible to developwithin the apparatus a pressure which may be equalto several inches of. mercury. The manufacture of apparatus of thisclass involves the product1on of a high degree of vacuum and severalways for creating a good vacuum have'been su glested.

e present invention relates tomeans for improving the vacuum in theprocess of manufacture or in a subsequent process, reliance being hadupon the possibility above mentioned of producing within the containerany desired amount of pressure. within reasonable limits.

It is further known that we can free an inclosed space from injuriousases by the production within the space by heat or otherwise) of a largequantity of vapor, such as mercury vapor, and passing this vapor out ofthe chamber or container while the vapor is commingled with the gaseswhich .are to be removed.

The means for creating the desired pressure and the desired productionof vapor may be a high degree of heat, and in the present specificationsuch means are described. In carryin out my invention, 1 provide aseparate 0 amber connected with the main chamber b a one way valve orits ecpllivalent .and I evelop in the chamber w ich is to be exhausted ahigh pressure by heat or other means and thus force out the injuriousgases, usually commingled with mercury vapor, into the separate chamber,after which the gases cannot again return to the main chamber. The oneway valve herein described consists of a small U-tube trap suitable forholding mercury orother gases that may b through the tube.

liquid and for prevent' the return of any- .535

I have mentioned mercury as a suitable liquid, for the purpose, but itwill be understood that I do not limit myself to the use of mercuryalone.

In Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings I show differentembodiments of the invention herein described and claimed.

In Fig. 1 the main chamber is shown at 1 and the separate orsupplemental chamber at 2. The initial preparation of the main chamberconsists in exhausting the same by any of the usual methods and sealing01f the apparatus at 3. The chamber 1 is connected to the chamber 2 by abent tube, 4:, constituting a U-valve, which permits gases underpressure to pass upward from the main chamber to the supplementalchamber 2 through a trap, 5, of mercury or other liquid. Let it beassumed that the main chamber is exhausted b one'of the usual processesso' as to provlde a high vacuum within the chamber. If we wish, toimprove the vacuum by removing still more of the superfluous gasestherefrom, we may heat the chamber 1 by any suitablemeans and developtherein a 'pressure which will be sufiicient to cause gases to passthrough the trap 5 into the chamber 2. This process may be continueduntil the pressure in the chamber 2 becomes equal to or in excess of thepressure in the chamber 1. During the process mercury vapor will bedeveloped and will carry with it through the trap a portion of thesuperfluous gases and in this way a very high degree of vacuum in thechamber 1 can be obtained. The capacity of the chamber 2 should be suchas to readily condense the mercury vapors which pass to it. When thechamber 1 is allowed to cool down the mercury in the .trap will notpermit the return of gases from the chamber 2 unless the latter has apressure greater than that which is due to the height of the columnbetween the points 6 and 7 in the tube 4. All that is necessary is toovide at 2 a chamber large enough to contain "the gases to be exhaustedfrom the chamber 1 without exceeding the pressure between the points 6and 7. The same idea may be app ied to pumping and repumping vaporapparatus in actual installation. This is illustrated in Fig. 2. Herethechamber 2 is open to the atmosphere and the height between the points6 and 7 is at least the barometric height.

In the construction shown, if the proportions are right, mercury passedover from the chamber 1 to the chamber 2 will for the most part returnto the chamber 1 when heat is removed from the. said chamber, while atthe same time a perfect seal will be maintained at all times fromtheatmosphere. By this arrangement the apparatus can obviously be repumpedat any tune, provided the apparatus as a whole will stand the necessarytemperature for reducing a piessure slightly above that-0F the atmosere.P This method is of especial advantage in those types of apparatus inwhich'agas escapes slowly from the electrodes or other parts of thecontainer, as it allows the apparatus to-be pum d in the usual manner,sealed 0E and alter suflicient time has elapsed or treatment beenprovided to discharge the remaining portions of the occluded gases theymay be forced into thethen be supplemental chamber which ma sealed 01f,leavin a comparativey perfect vacuum within t e main operating chamber.This ma be done after a lapse of any desired peri during which theapparatus can be normally operated or may be stored away, as the casemay be. In those cases of 3d the general character of Fig. 2 in which itis undesirable to increase the pressure within the chamber to asuflicient degree above atmospheric pressure to egiel the gases, it ispossible to accom lish e result with a much less pressure y producing apartial vacuum in one end of the tube which is otherwise at atmosphericpressure. This can be done by apparatus which would otherwise beinadequate for pumping the main chamber under ordinary conditions. Anordinary .water jet pump would be'sufficient.

It is to be noted that the valve which has hereinbeen described as a oneway valve operates as a one way valve for the vapors 'while at. the sametime permitting the mercury or other condensable liquid to pass ineither direction. This arrangement permits.

any gases or vapors driven into the chamber 2 and therein condensed toreturn to the chamber 1 without disturbing the capacity of the valve asreventing the flow of vapors the vacuum of the chamber to be exhaustedand to prohibit the return of gases under atmospheric pressure, andmeans for conducting-a volatilized portion of said liquid from the firstnamed to the second named chamber through said one-way valve.

2. The combination with a chamber to be exhausted, ofa volatilizableliquid contained therein, and a supplemental sealed chamber and meansfor permitting the passage of a volatilized portion of said liquid tosaid supplemental chamber, said means including a valve inoperativeunder all pressures below a certain operative amount thus permitting thepassage of vapors in the direction of the supplemental chamber undertemporary excessive pressure in the main chamber.

3. The combination with a chamber to be exhausted, the said chambercontaining a volatilizable liquid, of a separate closed chamber, and avalve interposed between the two chambers, the said valve being adaptedto permit the exit of vapors from the chamber to be exhausted and topermit the return of the condensed vapors in liquid form to the originalchamber.

4. The/combination with a chamber to be exhausted, the said chambercontaining a.

volatilizable liquid, of a separate. closed chamber, and a liquid valveinterposed between the two chambers, the liquid of the said valve beingof the same material as the liquid in the chamber to be exhausted.

5. The combination with a chamber to be exhausted, and a body of mercurycontained within the same, of a separate sealed chamber and a mercuryvalve interposed between the chambers.

6. The combination with a mercury yapor apparatus comprising ahermetically sealed an com letely exhausted container, and suitableelectrodes contained therein,-one of which is a vaporizablereconstructin cathode, of means permitting the expel ing of residualgases from said container, together withmeans for supplying a permanent'discharge path to a sup lementary exhausted chamber for said residhalgases, said means prohibiting the return of all ses to said container,with all pressures low a certain operative minimum in said supplementarychamber.

7.- A vapor electric device having a her metically sealed chamber, andan emptyaux.

iliary chamber commumcating therewith through a constructed opening,said auxiliary chamber bein ,removable to improve evice.

8. The combination with the-evacuated envelop of a vapor device, of anauxiliary chamber communicating therewith and removable therefrom toefl'ect permanent removal of gas from said main envelop atany timeduring normal operation of said device. 9. The method-ofimproving thevacuum Correction in Letters Patent No. 1,009,939.

of a vapor electric device, which consists in driving gas or foreignmaterial from main envelop of the vapor device into an auxiliary chamberduring normal operation, and then closing the opening between said mainchamber and said auxiliary chamber.

10. The method of improving the vacuum of a sealed vapor electric deviceduring normal operation, which consists in driving gas or foreignmaterial from the main chamber of the device through a constrictedopening, and then sealing said opening.

11. The combination with the sealed envelop of a vapor electric device,of means attached thereto for at any time improvlng the vacuum of saiddevice by actual removal of material from the envelop while in circu1tunder normal working conditions.

12. A sealed vapor electric device having a main chamber, and anauxiliary chamber communicating therewith through a constricted opening,said auxiliary chamber being initially empty, but being removablefromthe main chamber to improve the vacuum of the device.

an improvement in the case in the Patent Ofiice.

be read with this correction therein that the 13. The combination withan evacuated envelop having a condensing chamber means for maintainingan arc blast in sai envelop, and an auxiliary chamber communicatin withsaid condensing chamber and removable therefrom at any time duringnormal operation of the device to permanently remove gases from saidenvelop.

14. The method which consists in highly exhausting a vapor electricdevice, hermetically sealing said device and thereafter putting itwintonormal operation, segregating in an auxiliary chamber the gasesliberated within the device during normal operation, and ultimatelysealing ofi said auxiliary chamber to permanently prevent return of saidgases to the arc path of said device.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York,this 21st day of May A. D. 1904.

PERCY H. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

- WM. H. CAPEL,

GEORGE H. STOCKBRIDGE.

it is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,009,939, grantedNovember, 28, 1911,11pon the application of Percy H Thomas, of EastOrange, New J ersey for The Manufacture of Vapor Electric Apparatus anerror appears in the printed specification requiring correctionasfollowsz Page 2', line 121,

for the word constructed read constricted; and that the said LettersPatent should same may conform to the record of Signed and sealed this16th day of January, A, D. 1912.

o. c. BILLINGS,

Act/ing Omnmissioner of Patents.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 1,009,939.

of a vapor electric device, which consists in driving gas or foreignmaterial from main envelop of the vapor device into an auxiliary chamberduring normal operation, and then closing the opening between said mainchamber and said auxiliary chamber.

10. The method of improving the vacuum of a sealed vapor electric deviceduring normal operation, which consists in driving gas or foreignmaterial from the main chamber of the device through a constrictedopening, and then sealing said opening.

11. The combination with the sealed envelop of a vapor electric device,of means attached thereto for at any time improvlng the vacuum of saiddevice by actual removal of material from the envelop while in circu1tunder normal working conditions.

12. A sealed vapor electric device having a main chamber, and anauxiliary chamber communicating therewith through a constricted opening,said auxiliary chamber being initially empty, but being removablefromthe main chamber to improve the vacuum of the device.

an improvement in the case in the Patent Ofiice.

be read with this correction therein that the 13. The combination withan evacuated envelop having a condensing chamber means for maintainingan arc blast in sai envelop, and an auxiliary chamber communicatin withsaid condensing chamber and removable therefrom at any time duringnormal operation of the device to permanently remove gases from saidenvelop.

14. The method which consists in highly exhausting a vapor electricdevice, hermetically sealing said device and thereafter putting itwintonormal operation, segregating in an auxiliary chamber the gasesliberated within the device during normal operation, and ultimatelysealing ofi said auxiliary chamber to permanently prevent return of saidgases to the arc path of said device.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York,this 21st day of May A. D. 1904.

PERCY H. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

- WM. H. CAPEL,

GEORGE H. STOCKBRIDGE.

it is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,009,939, grantedNovember, 28, 1911,11pon the application of Percy H Thomas, of EastOrange, New J ersey for The Manufacture of Vapor Electric Apparatus anerror appears in the printed specification requiring correctionasfollowsz Page 2', line 121,

for the word constructed read constricted; and that the said LettersPatent should same may conform to the record of Signed and sealed this16th day of January, A, D. 1912.

o. c. BILLINGS,

Act/ing Omnmissioner of Patents.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,009,939, grantedNovemher, 28, 1911,up0n the application of Percy Thomas, of East Orange,New Jersey, for

an improvement in The Manufacture of Vapor Electric Apparatus an errorappears in the printed specification requiring correction asfollowszPage 2, line 121,

for the word constructed read constricted; and that the said LettersPatent should be read with this correction therein thet the same mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 10th day of J enuary, A. D. 1912.

[SEAL] (J. C. BILLlNGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

